Jessica Miller

In September 1893, she enclosed some of these drawings in a letter to Noel Moore, the son of her former governess, Annie.

The drawings showed a young rabbit.

To amuse Noel, Beatrix wrote a little story to accompany the drawings.

She called the rabbit Peter.

In the story, the mischievous Peter sneaks into the garden of Farmer McGregor and feasts on the farmer's vegetable patch, even though his mother has sternly warned him not to.

When Farmer McGregor catches sight of Peter, Peter runs away and gets stuck in a watering can.

Eventually, he wriggles free and escapes.

That night, his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, enjoy a supper of blackberries and cream.

But Peter, who has overindulged on Farmer McGregor's radishes and lettuce, has a stomachache and has to drink chamomile tea instead.

Noel and his siblings were delighted with the story.

His mother, Annie, suggested Beatrix publish it.

Beatrix worked at the story a little more and refined her illustrations with a view to finding a publisher.

The first publisher she approached rejected her.

So did the second.

All in all, six publishing houses turned down the chance to take her story.

While many editors enjoyed her work, none were prepared to publish a book that fit Beatrix's very exacting stipulations.

She wanted the book to be published in a smaller format than was usual at the time.

She insisted that smaller books would be easier for children's small hands to hold, and because she wanted her story to be affordable for all children.

She proposed only including a select few color illustrations.

The rest would be rendered in black and white, which were far cheaper to print.